Charity collections

To collect money or sell articles in any public place within the borough for the benefit of charitable or other purposes, you must obtain a street collection permit. The permit is free of charge but is a legal requirement. It is an offence for any person to collect money or sell articles without a permit and/or to breach the adopted regulations, you can view a summary of the regulation relating to the charity collection licence.

Charitable collections in stores, supermarkets or on private land do not require a street collection permit from the council. Collections will usually require the permission from the store or private land owner to allow the collection to take place.

The council does not issue permits to collect in any of the following privately owned shopping centres Festival Place, The Malls or where a collection is proposed to take place within premises privately owned where public access can be restricted by the owner, such as retail shops and other privately owned business premises. In such cases permission will be required from the site management company.

Charity Collection Policy

The council has produced a policy which sets out how it will deal with applications for charity collections within the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. Please read the policy before making an application. The charity street collection regulations can also be found within the policy.

Charity Collection Policy 2022(PDF) [302 kb]

Top of the Town

The number of charity collections permitted in the area known as The Top of Town which includes Winchester Street, London Street, Market Place, (Upper) Wote Street and Church Street is restricted to one day per month and no charity may collect at that location more than once in six months. We try to be fair to all charities wishing to collect so we will not accept block or multiple bookings for long periods of time from a single charity.

Collections will not be granted on a Wednesday or Saturday or on other days when market events are held. Applicants are requested to check their proposed date with the council’s market operator Hughmark or by phoning them on 0118 945 1799 before applying to carry out the charity collection .

We operate a voluntary code of conduct for direct debit collections in the Top of Town area which is available to download below. Applicants wishing to collect by direct debit are requested to follow the same procedure as for cash collections and to read and agree to adhere to the voluntary code of conduct.

Direct debit code of conduct(PDF) [163 kb]

Collections outside the Top of the Town

Charity collections on any street in the borough will be limited to one day per month per street and no charity may collect more than once in six months in any street.

A completed application should be submitted to the Licensing Team, no later than 1 month before the date of the proposed collection.

Eligibility criteria	Applications will only be accepted on the council issued application form available at the bottom of this page or by online application through the GOV.UK website. All applications must be submitted no later than one month before the requested date of collection.
Financial returns statement	After the collection, collecting tins should be opened in the presence of a promoter and a witness, or, if unopened, delivered to a bank to be opened and counted by an official. When opened, the contents of each tin should be entered on a list and certified by those present. A financial statement must be supplied to us showing the total amount of monies collected, amounts from each tin and a list of collectors. This must be received within one month of the collection date. If no return is received any future collections will be cancelled or refused. If more than £400 was collected, a notice must be published in a local paper giving details of the collection with the information such as date and location, charity to benefit, amount collected. The council will request details of the amount if funds raised that will go to the charity and applications may be refused if deemed uncharitable. The council will use its discretion in determining whether a collection is charitable or otherwise. You can inform us of the result of your charity collection via the link notify us of the result of a charitable collection.
Will tacit consent apply?	Yes. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority within 28 days of making your application.
Making an application	Online application You can apply online for a street collection permit - apply to run a charitable collection through the GOV.UK website. You must complete the full application process online and upload your completed application form with supporting documentation to the online system. Paper application Application forms can be downloaded from this page. A date may be provisionally reserved before the 28 day application deadline by emailing licensing@basingstoke.gov.uk but the full application must be received within 10 working days of making the reservation and at least 28 days before the proposed collection date. On receipt of an application the licensing team may request further information from third parties to ensure that there will be no detrimental impact on highway safety or other events that may be taking place. The council reserves the right to make additional checks on applicants if necessary to satisfy itself of the arrangements and purpose of a collection. Charity collection permits are issued subject to compliance with the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council street collection regulations. Any person who acts in breach of the Regulations shall be liable to a fine of up to £50 if successfully prosecuted.
Redress	Failed application redress Please contact the Licensing team in the first instance to discuss alternative dates for your collection. There is not right of appeal against the refusal of a charity collection permit. Consumer complaint Please contact the Licensing Team should you wish to make a complaint regarding a street collection. It is also recommended that you contact the charity directly

House to house collections

To carry out house-to-house collections for charitable purposes in the borough you will need a licence from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

View a summary of the regulation relating to the house to house collection licence

Eligibility criteria	Applications must be on the form which can be downloaded below. You must be a fit and proper person.
Application evaluation process	The Licensing Team operates a voluntary code of conduct for companies collecting by direct debit and companies wishing to collect by this method are asked to contact the licensing team for further details. The code of conduct can be downloaded below.
Will tacit consent apply?	No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard within a reasonable period, please contact the us. You can do this online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or contact the Licensing team.
Apply online	Apply to run a house to house collection Notify us of the result of a house to house collection
Redress	Failed Application Redress or Licence Holder Redress Please contact us in the first instance. You have the right to appeal to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Appeals must be lodged within 14 days of the refusal. Consumer Complaint We would always advise that in the event of a residents complaint the first contact is made with the collecting company by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, Citizens Advice Bureau will give you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.